Partnering with the Local Church

One of my greatest joys while being involved in missions is the opportunity to partner with the local church. Now, there are times when I run across a church that has its priorities all mixed up. Maybe the pastor is in the church business for his own self-seeking gain, or maybe the church is so denominationally-focused that it refuses to operate in the kingdom of God. But, despite some of the ugliness in church (and let's be honest, no church has everything right), I still believe in the local church.

While doing ministry in Chihota, Zimbabwe, I was so incredibly encouraged by the church that we partnered with there. Two pastors from Harare have been burdened with an incredible love for the people of Chihota. Both pastors are abandoning a considerably more comfortable life in Harare to move into the community of Chihota. And these pastors aren't about taking a position of power or prestige in the community like so many other pastors I've seen in Africa; they truly want to come alongside of the people of Chihota, serve them, and make disciples (who make more disciples, who make more disciples, etc.). Basically, these pastors "get it," and I left that community feeling confident that the seed that was sown through our short-term ministry in Chihota would be reaped in the long-term as these men continue serving the Lord in Chihota.

Teddy and Me with Pastor Jengwa. He may be short in stature, but he's a spiritual giant!

Hanging with Pastor Vambe before the Sunday service.

With one of the elders from the church.

Our group with the entire church body after the service. Can you believe all of those people squeezed into that tiny church building?!

Please take a moment and pray with me for the church in Chihota. God is moving there, but they have many challenges ahead. The kingdom of God is advancing, but they face much opposition, with witchcraft and animism being very prevalent in that area. Pray that God would break through the strongholds that Satan has had in that area for so long!

A Spiritual Battle

While in Chihota, I had my first encounter with a group called "The Apostles." Essentially, they are a cult. Their religion is an odd mixture of Zionist Christianity and traditional African animism. They wear white robes everywhere, and people from the villages go to them to receive healing. From what I'm told, they prescribe traditional healings which often include sacrifices to ancestors, and nearly always requires some form of payment to the healer. From my limited understanding, some of their leaders are merely scam artists, while others truly hold some forms of demonic power.

One day, I was talking to some men in the village whose families go to The Apostles for teaching and healing. I asked one of the men what exactly The Apostles teach. His response was that he wasn't exactly sure, he just knew that they didn't teach or believe in the Bible. One of those same men I talked to, who wasn't a believer at the time but came to know the Lord later that week, asked me to pray for his family. He said that they had been deeply caught up in witchcraft, and he asked me to call on Jesus to break through the power that Satan had over his family.

Hands down the creepiest experience that I have had since arriving in Africa was every evening in Chihota, when from dusk to dawn, The Apostles came together just a few hundred yards from our hut and spent the night chanting. I would wake up a dozen or so times a night, usually from the discomfort of sleeping on a concrete floor, and each time I would hear them singing and chanting to who knows what gods. Even more disturbing was that I began having terrible nightmares during that week in Chihota, which is very uncommon for me.

I'm not telling you all this to scare you. Let's not forget that "greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). But, I am sharing this with you all so that we don't live in ignorance. This confrontation with the demonic realm was a clear reminder for me of Paul's words that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). If Satan can get us to forget that there's a battle raging, then he's taken us out of the battle. I know that these demonic manifestations seem to appear less often in America than in other parts of the world, but one look at the state of our country tells me that we are in a spiritual battle. Our country has seldom known peace since its inception. Abortion kills a million babies a year in the U.S. alone. Divorce rates are through the roof. Pornography holds millions of people captive. Millions more are consumed by materialism and greed. Let us not be fooled...we are in a SPIRITUAL battle! As Paul urged the believers in his time, let's put on the armor of God and choose to fight for the kingdom of God!

This picture of The Apostles was taken by another one of our teams while on their practical ministry in Zim. I've been told that this cult is the fastest growing religion in Southern Africa. Please join me in praying that the people in Africa would not be deceived by this false religion, but that they would come to know Jesus: the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

Some Sights of Rural Africa

These pictures were all taken in or near Chihota, Zimbabwe. Enjoy.

Teddy G in Zimbabwe

By now, you should all know that my friend, Ted, visited me here in Africa for a couple weeks. Ted and I grew up together in youth group at Nappanee Missionary Church, and, more recently, Ted was very involved in the student ministries at St. Mark Missionary Church, where I served on the student ministries staff. All that to say, I'm pretty sure that most people who are actively following my blog know Ted. For that reason, and because Ted hasn't posted on his blog in nearly two years, I decided to put up some pictures of Teddy in Zimbabwe. Enjoy.

Ted getting to know some of the young people in Chihota.

Teddy gives Chihota a big thumbs up!

Ted and Pastor Jengwa enjoying the hour walk to the nearest school.

Teddy and Praise are all smiles.

"Let the little children come to me..."

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Luke 18:16)

It was such a blessing to be able to work with the children in Chihota. No matter where I go in the world, I'm always amazed at the energy and excitement that little kids have. They are always quick to smile and laugh, and despite the poverty that many kids--like the little Zimbabwean children--face each day, they always seem to have a resilient spirit that finds joy in even the toughest of circumstances. Here are some of the kids that stole my heart in Chihota.

We took this picture with the kiddos right after the Sunday church service. Unfortunately, I bent down to pick up one of the little guys right as the camera flashed!

We rounded up this group of children for VBS every morning.

Teddy and me with some of the precious little children.

A few of the children that we spent time with every day. The two on the left, Precious (pink shirt) and baby Gracious, were the daughters of our host family.

Teddy sure has a way with children!

I'm not much for changing dirty diapers (maybe someday), but I sure like holding the little guys!

Our Sunday School "class."

I learned a lot from these kids, and it was just a blessing to spend time with them each day. May we never forget to pray that God would protect these children and raise up a generation of young people around the world who are passionately in love with Him!

Ministry in Chihota

Here's what our typical ministry schedule looked like while we were in Chihota:

We began each day with devotions, as well as a time of corporate prayer in which we claimed the community for Jesus.

We then rounded up the kids in the community and essentially ran a VBS for them. We played games, learned a memory verse, taught a fun and interactive lesson, and shared dramas with them. Here, Vusi and I are performing a drama for the kids. We did the whole drama in Shona, the native language of Zimbabwe, and the kids laughed so much when they saw me--a big, white, bearded guy--speaking in Shona.

In the afternoons, we did either door-to-door evangelism or open-air evangelism. In the picture above, we are running an open-air evangelism event in front of a bar in a tiny town near Chihota. I can't say that I think this kind of fly-by evangelism is the most effective form of evangelism, but I will say that God showed up and we saw many people come to know Jesus through the power of His Spirit. It also challenged many of the young people on our team to be bold in sharing their faith for the first time, which I think was an invaluable experience for them. Even more encouraging was that we were able to connect many of the new believers with the church in Chihota, where they will be able to continue forward on their journey of discipleship.

In the evenings, thanks to a generator and some makeshift lighting, we were able to have services in the tiny church building. Each night the church was packed, and we saw the Spirit move. Again, many people came to know Christ or received healing at these services.

We continued sharing the love of Jesus through dramas...

...as well as through personal testimonies.

God was at work in the hearts and lives of many people during our time in Chihota, and He certainly blessed our ministry there! It is a humbling feeling to be used by God!

Challenges in Chihota

As I've mentioned before, there were quite a few challenges to overcome in the village of Chihota. We had no running water, so we had to draw up water from a well. This wouldn't have been too bad, except that the well water was greenish-brown and highly contaminated. After about 2 days, we had run out of all the clean water that our group had brought with us. We tried our best to make it work, boiling the water and bleaching some of it, but it was still quite a problem. I got terribly sick for the second time since I've been in Africa, and I'm fairly certain that it was because of the bad water. Zimbabwe has had widespread cases of Cholera recently, and the more sick I got, the more I started to wonder if that's what I had. Given our remote location, I was praying that it was something significantly less serious. Luckily, dozens of trips to the bush and 6 doses of anti-diarrheal later, and I was feeling much better (sorry for the graphic details)!

The lack of electricity meant cooking all of our food over an open fire.

Ted and Auntie Kathy did a great job cooking some of our meals. However, our menu for the weeks was very limited, and if I don't ever see another plate of soya mince and beans again, I'll be more than okay with that!

Nights were a little less than comfortable, as we slept on the concrete floor of a thatched roof hut. It got a little chilly, too, so Kudzanai and Collins (above) snuggled up together!

Staying in Chihota for just a few days was enough for me to realize how blessed I am with so many comforts that I take for granted. Can you imagine living without clean water? Turning on a tap and immediately receiving fresh water is not a luxury that most of the world enjoys. Sleeping on a nice, soft bed is not a necessity--it is a luxury. What things have you taken for granted recently? Don't forget to thank God for the blessings He's given you, and don't forget that He's blessed you so that you can bless others!

Team Chihota

After 3 days of ministry training in Harare, we split the Zimbabwean trainees up into three teams, each of which would spend the rest of the week in a rural community, partnering with a local church there and doing practical ministry. My team was sent into the rural community of Chihota. And when I say rural, I mean RURAL! We were literally sent out into the middle of nowhere, to a tiny village with no electricity, no running water, no clean water, and no toilets (not even a hole in the ground!). It was an experience!

Team Chihota, packed into a 15 passenger van and excited about the week of ministry ahead!

Our team after a church service in Chihota.

Things You Don't See Everyday...Unless You're In Zimbabwe!

As I've mentioned before, Zimbabwe is one of the poorest countries in the world. In fact, a South African friend recently told me that Zimbabwe and Haiti are essentially neck in neck for being the poorest country in the world. Not exactly a battle that you want to win! Anyway, about 9 years ago, the President (aka Tyrant Dictator) of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, kicked most of the white farmers out of the country and gave their land to his cronies in the military, as well as to his family, friends, and loyal supporters. The result? Disaster. The farms ceased to produce crops and have literally been left to rust and rot. A country that was once known as "The Bread Basket of Africa" because it produced and exported a surplus of food each year, is now known for poverty and mass starvation. The Zimbabwean Dollar, which 25 years ago was actually stronger than the US Dollar, is essentially obsolete. For example, a taxi fare in Zimbabwe currently costs 30 trillion Zimbabwean Dollars. Now that's inflation if I've ever heard of it! In light of their collapsed currency, Zimbabwe currently operates on the US Dollar and the South African Rand.

You don't see this everyday. Zimbabwean Dollars litter the streets, as they have been essentially deemed worthless.

Dudes carrying around big rifles--also something you don't see everyday...unless you're in Zimbabwe!

Reconnecting with Friends

One of the bonuses for being involved in the Zimbabwe STeM was that I got to reconnect with several of my friends who went through the 4-months of J-Life training with me at the beginning of the year. These guys are all top-notch people who impact the world for Christ wherever they go. I am constantly challenged and encouraged by each one them to persevere in my ministry. It was such a blessing to see these guys again!

This is my buddy, Munya Takawira, from Zim. He's been sighted on my blog before--you might remember him as one of my fellow convicts during African Realities. Munya was gracious enough to let Ted and me stay at his home in Harare during the STeM training. It was awesome to see first-hand the ministry that Munya is doing in Harare.

It was also cool to introduce Ted to some of my good friends. Ted got to know Vusi pretty well in Zim, as Vusi led our ministry practical in Chihota. Vusi is one of the most gifted leaders I have ever met, and I'm convinced that he will be one of my life-long friends.

Ted, Auntie Kathy, and me hanging with my good friends from Malawi, Praise and Anthony. Praise was my roommate at J-Life when I first arrived to South Africa. These guys came down from Malawi to join in the Zimbabwe STeM, with the intention of running their own STeM in Malawi later this year.

Ted, Praise, Tara, Me, and our new friend from Zim, Nigel.

Team Zimbabwe

I've mentioned before a little bit about our purpose for going to Zimbabwe, but here are a few more details about what we were up to. In July, J-Life South Africa ran two weeks of training called STeM (Short Term Equipping Missions), in which we trained young people to mobilize and get active in ministry in their own communities and beyond. It is essentially a short-term mission, combined with intensive and practical training in ministry--the goal being to equip and propel young people towards further ministry when they return home.

Well, on the South African STeM, we had a group of young people come down from Zimbabwe to receive the training. Since returning home to Zimbabwe, these young people, joining with J-Life Zimbabwe, planned their very own (and 1st ever) J-Life Zimbabwe STeM. Essentially, our team from South Africa was sent there to assist them in any way they needed. Because Zimbabwe is currently one of the poorest countries in the world, the young people in Zimbabwe were only able to raise $5 each for the week-long training and ministry practical. So, J-Life South Africa provided all the food for the week. We also helped with the training, logistics, transportation, etc. The result was an incredible team effort and a week in which we saw God move in HUGE ways. More on that later...

The J-Life South Africa leaders teaming up with the J-Life Zimbabwe leaders!

We had lots of fun together!

While I'm Gone...

Since I'll be gone for the next few weeks in Tanzania, likely without any internet access, I decided to schedule several blog entries to post while I am gone. In fact, there should be one new update each day while I'm gone. Many of these blog entries will revolve around my experiences in Zimbabwe, as well as things I have been learning while here in Africa. So, the point is, don't check out while I'm gone! Stay tuned for lots more pictures and updates from my experiences in Africa!

On the Road Again...

Tomorrow morning I leave with Bhuti, another one of the J-Life South Africa leaders, for Tanzania and Zanzibar. You might be wondering, "Why all the traveling?" Well, every trip is different and has its own goals and purposes. On this specific trip, we will be teaching at a training center that J-Life has planted in Tanzania. Every 6 weeks, for the entire year, a group of young pastors and leaders comes together to receive ministry training. Over the next 2 weeks, we will be teaching several ministry courses. Some of the courses I wrote myself, while others are J-Life materials. I will be teaching courses in Relational Ministry, The Church as a Medium for Discipling Youth, Spiritual Leadership, and Recruiting Leaders.

I could use a lot of prayer as I head into this next phase:

• Please pray that I would again be given the energy needed to do what God has called me to do. I feel like I am just now getting my feet back under me after the Zimbabwe trip, and this trip may be a great challenge for me physically and mentally.

• Please pray that the Spirit would empower me to clearly and effectively teach and train others.

• Pray that lives would be changed, and the Church in Tanzania would be mobilized for God's kingdom.

Thanks to all of you who faithfully keep me in your prayers. I truly believe that my ministry would not be effective without your partnership in prayer. Thank you, and may God bless you.

Here I Go Again On My Own

For the past two weeks, I've been having a blast hanging with my good friend, Ted. I feel really blessed to have some great friends, and it meant a lot to me that Ted came out to encourage me and to see what my ministry here in Africa looks like. It's always nice to know that someone from back home really knows from experience about the place where I live and the people with whom I'm working. Ted and I had more than our fair share of adventures over the past couple weeks, including a couple very stressful days earlier this week, as we got lost in Johannesburg and actually missed his flight home Sunday night. But, last night we got him on another flight, and he should be home later today. Despite some of the chaos surrounding these past few days, it was very encouraging to have Teddy around. He's one of the craziest guys I know, but he's also got a deep love for God and for people. I could definitely see Ted pursuing long-term missions at some point in his life.

Ted and me in front of our "home" in the rural village of Chihota, Zimbabwe.

While heading to the airport (the first time, Sunday night), Ted pointed out that I was heading into my longest stretch of time in Africa without a visit from someone back home. I hadn't realized it myself, but it was true. Terry Linhart and family came down in March and stayed in South Africa for two months. Shortly after that, Adrienne came down to intern with J-Life for two months. And, just a few weeks after Adrienne left, Ted was here to join with me in ministry for a couple weeks. But now, I'm flying solo down the home stretch! I've got a little more than 3 months until I'm heading back to the States. Please pray that I would finish strong in these next few months and that I would be free from any homesickness or loneliness.

The classic 80's song "Here I Go Again" by White Snake sums it up well:

Here I go again on my own
Goin' down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wastin' no more time
Here I go again

The African Sunset

I am convinced that there is nothing more beautiful than the African sunset. It's nearly impossible to capture in a picture, but I've tried anyway. Here are some shots of the sun setting over the rural village of Chihota, Zimbabwe.

The African Road Trip Test

I've gotten quite a few lessons in "African Road Trips" over the past 8 months. One thing I've come to realize is that things rarely go as planned. My conclusion is that you know you're traveling in Africa if at least 2 of the following 3 things occur:

1) Your vehicle breaks down
I think I have yet to take an extensive road trip in Africa that didn't involve some sort of car trouble (ie. this attempt to drive to Cape Town).

2) The trip takes at least 5 hours longer than scheduled

3) You need to use the toilet, only to realize that a bush is your only option for the next several hours

My most recent road trip, to Zimbabwe, passed the "African Road Trip Test" with flying colors. In fact, it was a perfect 3 for 3! Here are some of the highlights...

We got just a few hours down the road, to a town called Polokwane, before Dave's truck broke down (African Road Trip Test #1...check). Luckily, a friend of a friend of a friend of ours was a mechanic in that town. In this picture, Dave and the mechanic are hard at work on the truck. Notice Bhuti standing and watching.

Not to be outdone, Bhuti pretends to work on the truck as well.

I wasn't even going to pretend I knew anything about cars. Tara, Chevonne, and I just chilled as it took almost 3 hours to get the truck fixed and back on the road.

Almost there...

We finally arrived in Zimbabwe, just a few hours behind schedule. From the border, it was supposed to take us about 8 more hours to reach Harare. But things never work out like they're supposed to...

As darkness fell upon us, we realized that the treacherous roads in Zim were not safe to drive at night. Our plan had been to arrive in Harare before dark, but, like I said, things never go as planned. We were left with really only one option--to pull off the road and sleep in the car. Now, I'm not sure how much safer sleeping in a car on the side of the road was compared to driving the dangerous roads in the dark, but that's what we did. This is a picture of my "bed" for the night.

So, the journey that we had planned to take 18 hours turned into a 30-hour adventure. That's 12 extra hours of travel (African Road Trip Test #2...check)!

Now, you might be wondering how we passed African Road Trip Test #3. Well, let's just say it got a little ugly, and if I'm ever asked to share my most embarrassing moment, this story will probably be the first to poop...er, uh...I mean pop into my head. But I'll save that story for another time.

Overall, it was a road trip that I won't soon forget. Never a dull moment in Africa!